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All the grapes in this rich varietal come from one of three Sonoma County appellations —Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek, or Alexander Valley. Harvested by hand from October through early November, the fully ripened clusters are then crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and fermented from eight to fifteen days. The wine is then aged in different lots for fourteen to sixteen months in American and French oak, and then blended without filtration. Once bottled we hold the wine another four to eight months so that it’s fully developed by the time we release it. The result is a classic Sonoma County Cabernet with firm structure, generous tannins, and deep color accentuating the hints of black currant and spicy oak.

Behler Vineyard, our estate vineyard in the heart of Sonoma Valley, provides majority of grapes that go into this big, buttery Chardonnay. Its volcanic rock and loam have provided St. Francis with grapes of structure and integrity for all our previous reserve Chardonnay vintages. We harvest the fruit at its peak, and then ferment it in new French oak barrels with 100% malolactic treatment. After aging nine months, with occasional stirring of the lees, we select only the finest barrels for our reserve blend. The finished wine has a bouquet of tropical and exotic fruits fragrant with new oak and vanilla. On the palate, the fruit flavors are fully concentrated, and the texture is rich and buttery, supported by balanced acidity and firm structure.

Rich and butterscotchy, this Chardonnay is a fresh expression of the classic varietal. At least half the grapes in this blend were grown in our own vineyards; the rest we carefully selected from nearby vineyards in the Dry Creek, Sonoma, Alexander, and Russian River Valley appellations, choosing only fully ripened fruit. We fermented the wine in different lots in our home winery, some in new oak barrels, some in stainless steel tanks, aging both for six months before blending them, and then finished it with 100% malolactic fermentation. As you’ll taste, the barrel component adds a toasty complexity; the tank, fruity grape notes. Fruit and melon aromas are offset on the palate by hints of oak and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, this Chardonnay has ripe fruit flavors, good acid balance in the mouth, and a rich, persistent finish.

St. Francis Sonoma County Claret is a blend of three red varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, produced from superior sources of grapes from vineyards located throughout Sonoma County. Individual varietal wines are skillfully blended together to create a complex, well-balanced and full-flavored wine reminiscent of the fine wines of Bordeaux for which our Claret is named. This beautifully crafted wine of medium-body and rich tannins displays aromas of cedar, vanilla and toffee with flavors of rich ripe plum and strawberries. Ready to drink upon release.

Grown in loam, clay, and volcanic soil mixed with gravel, the 100% Merlot grapes in this wine are particularly intense. All come from Sonoma County, and most from one of St. Francis’ three estate vineyards in the Sonoma Valley, with micro-climates ranging from the hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains to the cooler valley floor. The grapes are harvested by hand and crushed into stainless-steel tanks for fermentation; the wine is then aged in American and French oak barrels for a full eighteen months. Bottled without filtration, it is held an additional eight months before release. A varietal classic with distinctive Sonoma County style, it has strong black fruit, spicy herb, and vanilla overtones, which give way to full fruit on the palate, nuanced with chocolate. Its round, generous tannins give it a big finish.

Set high on the steep, terraced slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains between Sonoma and Napa Valleys, our Nuns Canyon Vineyard has a strong western exposure and deep, rich soils, which render unusually concentrated grapes marked by deep color, abundant tannins, and flavors ranging from cassis to mint and licorice, from black cherry to chocolate. The grapes were harvested by hand and crushed into stainless steel tanks, where fermentation took place over eight to fifteen days, followed by malolactic fermentation over the next six weeks. Racked into new and one-year-old French and American oak barrels, the wine was then aged for twenty-four months before being bottled without fining or filtration and held for another eight months before release.

A thirty-acre parcel of the Behler Vineyard, which produced most of the grapes for this reserve Merlot, is set in the heart of the original Sonoma Valley estate. Its soil—well-drained rock and gravel topped with rich loam—ensures small quantities of concentrated fruit, while its microclimate, tempered by cooling breezes and morning fogs from both the Pacific and the San Francisco Bay, is key to developing the superior complex flavors of wild cherry, chocolate, coffee, and plum that distinguish this wine. Throughout the vineyard, canopies are thinned for increased sun, which further concentrates flavor and color. Hand harvested in late September, the fruit was crushed and racked in oak to age for twenty-four to thirty months, then held an additional ten months before release.

Planted over a hundred years ago by Felice Pagani, the famous Pagani vineyard produces as little as one or two tons per acre on intensely flavored clusters that ripen at unusually high sugar levels. The occasional Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet vines dotted among the Zinfandel contribute to a deep purple blend rich with jammy fruit. For the 2000 vintage, we hand harvested the grapes in October and crushed them into stainless steel tanks. Fermented over twelve to eighteen days, the wine was then racked into new American oak barrels and aged for twelve to fifteen months. Bottled without fining or filtration, it was held another four to eight months before release. This is a bold wine with dark hints of licorice, chocolate, pepper, and black plum.

The Russian River fruit contributes peppery, spicy flavors and the Sonoma Valley fruit contributes blueberry, jammy, and black fruit flavors. Aging was done with 50% French oak, about 30% new, and the balance in neutral American oak barrels. The wine was in barrels for 15 months and then bottle-aged for six months. Fruit-forward and concentrated, this wine reflects the complexity that can be achieved by blending Syrah wines grown in both hot and cooler growing areas. Including hints of Grenache in this Syrah gives candied notes reminiscent of the wines of France’s Rhone Valley. Adding Sangiovese polishes the wine with structured tannins and bright acidity.

When we say “old vines,” we mean vines at least fifty and often up to a hundred years old. We’ve found a series of small vineyards in Sonoma County that date back to the turn of the last century. Because of their great age, these plots yield less than four tons per acre of exceptionally concentrated fruit. Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet vines planted among the Zinfandel add texture and color to the “field blend. ”We hand harvest late, so that some of the grapes have become raisins, further intensifying the varietal flavors. Once crushed, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks for twelve to eighteen days, then aged in new American oak barrels from twelve to fifteen months. The wine is held another four to eight months after bottling. This is a plump, layered Zin with complex black cherry, raspberry, and black pepper flavors that unfold on the palate.